‘Selfie protests,’ noise barrages vs fare increase

MANILA, Philippines–Disagree with the light-rail fare increases? You can join the noise barrages and “selfie protests” slated for Monday, the first working day of the new year.

The commuter group Riles Laan sa Sambayanan (Riles Network) and the Nagkaisa labor coalition will be leading the protest actions at various stations of the Metro Rail Transit (MRT) and Light Rail Transit (LRT).

‘Clap 2 Stop’

The Riles Network said it would hold the “Clap 2 Stop” protest at the MRT North Avenue Station, the LRT-1 Monumento Station and the LRT-2 Recto Station, from 7 a.m. to 9 a.m. Monday.

Commuters will be asked to clap or make noise inside the stations to express their opposition to the fare hikes.

Nagkaisa, meanwhile, urges the riding public to take selfies or “groufies” Monday holding mini-posters expressing their opposition.

The photos could then be posted on social networking sites with the #MRTprotest hashtag.

People’s right

Nagkaisa members Partido Manggagawa and the Philippine Airlines Employees Association will lead the Monday protest at the MRT Pasay-Taft Station, while the Sentro ng Nagkakaisang Manggagawa will lead the protest at the MRT North Avenue Station.

“Let us make our voices heard: Safe, efficient and affordable mass transportation is a right of the people and should not be turned into a business of a few,” Riles Network spokesperson Sammy Malunes urged the public.

‘Treachery’

Malunes decried the government’s “treachery” in approving the fare hikes without public consultations.

Nagkaisa said the fare hikes were an “assault on workers’ living conditions” by the government.

It said workers and students made up the bulk of regular train riders.

“The Aquino administration has not only failed to address the traffic mess, it is shamelessly adding a three-fold burden to workers who will have to shell out more for their own train fare and that of their children who go to school,” said Julius Cainglet of the Federation of Free Workers.

The coalition said the “87 percent” fare increase was not even for the improvement of train services, but only to pay debts to a private concessionaire.

‘Dagger to workers’ income’

One of the worker groups protesting the fare hikes is the BPO Industry Employees’ Network (BIEN), as most business process outsourcing (BPO) hubs and call centers are located within the radius of both the MRT and LRT train systems.

“The MRT and LRT fare hike is like a dagger to workers’ income as this will cut 10 to 15 percent of workers’ income for transportation alone,” BIEN president Ian Porquia said.

“The average income of a BPO worker ranges from P12,000 to P21,000 a month. On a daily basis, a worker already has to set aside P28 a day or P560 a month for MRT fare. But with the increase, the cost for MRT fare will become P48 a day or P960 a month. For a minimum wage earner in the BPO industry, that is equivalent to 10 percent of his or her income going to MRT fare alone,” he said.

#StrikeTheHike

The protests started on Sunday, the first day of the fare hikes’ implementation, with the #StrikeTheHike Network going on a selfie protest at LRT-2.

The militant youth group Anakbayan also held a lightning sitdown protest at the MRT North Avenue Station at noon Sunday.

The protest actions Monday will coincide with a plan by militant groups to file a petition in the Supreme Court to suspend the fare hikes.